Chương 51: The Fate Of Lanterne

Alexandra ran south across the plains. Every flower cluster she crushed sent a sting up through her sole. The insects were worse. Each one she stepped on hit her skull like a stone. She'd started watching the ground, which slowed her down. Something she couldn't afford. Apple and Durel had told her to stay. She'd left anyway. If the attack hadn't been isolated… She shook her head, and moved faster. She had to reach Lanterne, the pain be damned. Sickness of empathy was a pain to deal with.

At least, it only reflected the pain she inflicted, not the damages. The distinction felt generous. But after the long run, and the battle against the Duskmaws, Alexandra wasn't in a state to run the hundred or so kilometers that separated her from Lanterne. Pushing as far as she could, she managed to reach the river. She sat on the bank and checked her journal. Running 3 -> 4 She smiled.

"At least my skills are progressing nicely." The sun was getting low over the horizon. Since she hadn't picked Paper Map for her last perk, she had to stop for the night. Finding Lanterne without light wasn't going to work out for her.

"I'm too tired, anyway," she whispered. Alexandra removed her shoes and dipped her burning feet into the water. It was fresh. A true relief. She wanted nothing more than to rush to their help. Lara, Therion, even Bamir… They'd helped her, and she had to help them back. But… She was spent, and she knew it. More than just energy, the fight had taken its toll on her. A second sickness. It was becoming harder to justify using Dark Bolt. All she could hope for was that verdant beasts didn't feel as much pain as humans.

Even then, she wasn't looking forward to her next fight. She moved her feet, splashing some water farther into the river. Then, she opened the satchel on her belt and took out a piece of bread. At least they'd given her some provisions. A gesture to thank her for saving their lives. She ripped a piece off and chewed on it. Part of her regretted sacrificing a sickness to deal with the blessed Duskmaw.

"I'm really a piece of shit," she mumbled, crumbs falling from her mouth. She sat with that for a moment. Then her mind moved, the way it always did, to the numbers. To the efficiency gains. To her streak. She noticed herself doing it and chewed another piece of bread.

"Then again, leveling Life Curse will make my life easier in the long run." Drain Life would be so much better. Too bad the cost to unlock the skill was her soul. She clicked her tongue. What was done was done. She'd decided to use Dark bolt on her own, knowing how much it would cost her. Blaming Apple and the villagers for it wouldn't get her anywhere.

"That's just so unlucky!" She rested her hands on her knees as she flapped her legs in the water. Duskmaw parts were worthless. She couldn't even make a few coins from her kills. Once she was done eating, she stood up. Crossing the river now would leave her soaked for the night, so she looked for a place to sleep on her side. She found a dip in the terrain, decently sheltered from the wind, and fell asleep instantly. The next day, she woke up with the sun, before her daily quest reset.

Alexandra ate all the bread she had left. It was better dry than soaked. Then, she crossed the river. On the other side, she wrung her clothes to help them dry faster, and started running. It didn't take long for her new quest to appear. Quest Journ a l Daily Reset: 06: 00 | Streak: 16 Days | 1% All Stats The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Next Milestone: 25 Days Daily Quests: Find a settlement (0/1) She raised her eyebrows. That was convenient.

Once again, Alexandra wondered how her dailies were generated. They were not completely random, that much was certain. Her sample size was still low, but she was starting to see a few patterns. First, her quests were all doable. Some were harder than others, but each and every one of them was possible to complete in the allotted time. Second, they were all solo quests. Unlike in Lone World Online, she hadn't run into a daily quest that required teammates.

Even better, her newest Adventuring Party perk suggested that it would stay like that. Third, the quest was thematically appropriate for the reward it gave. She could guess that today's would grant her a point in perception. Maybe also a skill quest dealing with orientation.

"That said," she whispered, still running.

"I got constitution and no skill for leaving the plains. So who knows." Her thoughts were interrupted by sharp pain splitting her head.

"Fucking insects," she groaned and kept going.

"Just give me Pain Resistance or something." The plains were uneventful, as usual. She avoided a few verdant beasts laying in ambush, and stayed clear of goblin burrows. A few hours later, she spotted the chimneys of Lanterne in the distance. No smoke. She slowed down, and grabbed her sickle. The only sounds were those of the rustling vegetation. As she walked closer to the buildings, she saw no sign of activity. The main road was empty. No blood. No bodies. No scorch marks on the walls, no broken shutters.

Alexandra almost relaxed. But where was everyone? She checked every doorway as she passed. Some opened. Some closed. Never anyone in sight. Lara and Therion's house was just as she remembered it. The door was closed. She knocked. She waited, listening for footsteps, a voice, a creak of floorboards. Nothing. She knocked again, harder. Still nothing. Alexandra put her hand on the door. Unlocked. She pushed it open.

"Lara," she called.

"It's Alexandra." Silence. She stepped inside. Nobody was there. She noticed a cup still full of water sitting on the table, a pot of soup hanging over the hearth. She moved closer, lifted the lid.

"Aetherveil." Nothing out of the ordinary. She almost wanted to warm it up and pour herself a bowl, but put down the lid. Her hand hadn't let go of her sickle.

"What's going on here?" Maybe they'd left for the city. The Hands could have warned Bamir that the Yshant was on the move after receiving a report from Apple. Alexandra took the time to summon her journal. She set it down on the table and opened it to the first page. Quest Journ a l Daily Reset: 06: 00 | Streak: 16 Days | 1% All Stats Next Milestone: 25 Days Daily Quests: Find a settlement (0/1)"What?" She frowned, turned the page, and back again. The quest still wasn't completed. She looked up.

"Weird." She stepped back outside. The street looked the same as when she'd entered. She stopped at the shrine. She'd never paid it much attention during her stay. It wasn't much. Just a small stone pillar with an eye and a hand on it. She didn't even know there was a shrine in the village. She ran her finger along the edge. Cold. She stood and looked back at the road. Open doors. Perfect flowers growing in pots on the windowsills.

"Hello?" She raised her voice.

"Anybody here?" The lavoir had clean water running through its basins. Her clothes were hanging on the line next to it, drying under the sun. Behind the lavoir, a house surrounded by neatly trimmed grass. She doubled back. Her clothes? She touched the sleeve of her shirt. Dry. She pulled it off the line and turned it over in her hands. Her shirt, no question. The tear on the sleeve from the Duskmaw fight… She looked down. Still wearing it. She hadn't hung this here. The shirt fell from her hands. Her breath caught.

She looked behind her. The flowers on the window sills. She walked to the nearest pot and looked closer. Perfect, every petal intact, not a spot of rot, not a single one wilted. She reached out and pinched a stem between her fingers. The sting hit her immediately. She pulled her hand back. Looked at the flower. Then at the next pot. Then at the ones further down the road, every window, every sill, identical clusters in identical pots. She looked at the ground. The cracks between the cobblestones.

She'd walked over them without thinking. She crouched now and looked at one. Not dirt in the crack. Something darker. She pressed her finger into it and felt it give slightly, fibrous, damp. She stood up slowly. The shrine. There was no shrine. She raised her sickle and drove it into the road. A sharp burst of pain spread through her body. She ignored it. There's something worse to be worried about. The cobblestone split, and underneath it, roots. Dense and dark, running in every direction.

As the blade touched them the whole street shuddered, and the village peeled apart, walls thinning, roots erupting through the facades, through the window sills, through the lavoir, swallowing everything they'd been holding in shape. The road was gone, the houses wrapped and consumed. Alexandra stood in the middle of it, sickle drawn, roots as far as she could see. Beneath everything, something shone red and bright. She squinted her eyes to get a better look. Deep within the tangle, a single red flower.

"Fuck me."